The sun was still rather high in the dullish blue sky. The morning temperatures still brimming with heat around the Wittman Hub in Oskosh. A small cold front from the north helped, but the heat still seemed to seep into everything that it could reach.
“…”
“You doing alright there, Floyd…?” asked Lawrence Kraft.
“Yeah, I’m alright...” he gently replies back.
It wasn’t really abnormal per-say. Since meeting him and his twin sister, Eliza Crane, they've both kept up the silence treatment most of the time. They’re rather inseparable, which is a rare thing to see in society nowadays. Lawrence could relate to this feeling of having someone close, but as of late that feeling had been cut short.
“Ahh! Might that be Jared over there?” asked Saul Leitmann.
“I think it is, we’ve been walking for the past twenty minutes or so. Abby did say he was a professional traveler, and he DOES have that half-track with him…” Lawrence suggested. “However if it is him, let me say this before we head over to speak. Most of the merchants around here have a rather greedy disposition, so we’ll have to do our best to make sure that we aren’t going to waste the rest of our coins to pay for this trip.”
The group nods in agreement.
“Pot calling the kettle black though, eh Lawrence?” said Floyd, poking fun at Lawrence for being a merchant himself.
“Oh? Wouldn’t have guessed you’d know such a old phrase there FLOYD…” Lawrence snapped back.
They’d have enough to pay for the trip, but once they arrived to Madison any other rations would be hard to come by. Saving now has being a top priority.
“Excuse me sir,” Saul said with great calmness, “Might you be the man named Jared?” The man in question was young with lightest brown hair who looks over at us with a slight look of discomfort. He takes out the cigarette from out of his mouth to eventually throw it to the ground.
“If you’re asking me if my name is Jared, then yes, I am named that. Jared Meuller to be exact.”
“Ah that’s good to hear then!” said Saul again. “We’ve been looking for you actually.” Jared faces forms into a confused expression.
“What might a group like yourself be looking from me?”
“We're in need your services. ”
“Well looks like you're out of luck then - erm…?"
“Saul. Saul Leitmann. The rest of the good people in our group are Lawrence Kraft, and the Crane twins, Floyd and Eliza.”
“I’m sorry then, Saul; however, I’m not sure what you’d be looking for to be exact. I’m already busy right now with a trade…”
“That doesn’t seem to be the case” butted in Lawrence. “You seem to be more idle then busy.”
“…” Jared frowns and begins to look around again before saying loudly.
“That is the case sadly. I’ve been waiting for the past few hours for a client to come here so we can work out a small trade of silverware. He doesn’t seem to be coming, which means most likely the deal didn’t work out on his end.”
“Then I think you’ll be willing to listen to our own request then, Jared. We’re in need of a fast and safe ride down to Madison.”
Jared looks around again making sure that his previous client isn’t anywhere in sight.
“We’ve willing to compensate for the trip, oh course.”
“To pay for the loss of my previous client not arriving, I’ll have to ask about six value coins.”
Value coins are more expensive then the other smaller copper coins that most of the merchants used. They normally are about 100 copper coins compressed into one. Simply put though, the coin system had become extremely confusing to non-merchant folks.
Lawrence stops, and looks back at his group. From what he remembers, they would have enough if they gave up six value coins, but that would be leaving them with near empty pockets at the end. Plus, as Lawrence is of a higher class then the rest of his group, he’d be putting forth more, closely followed by Saul, then the twins.
“Hm…” Pondered Lawrence.
“Take it or leave it.”
“I understand, as I’m a merchant myself, but six a little to much for our group here. Could there be a better deal perhaps?” Jared look at Lawrence then the rest of the group.
“Six coins. I won’t go any lower.”
“Then what about because we have a young lady with us? I would think you’d want to honor the gentleman code to make sure she’d have a safe passage.”
“Me? A gentleman? Got to be fucken kidding me! I’m a MERCHANT, not some sap for love, all I’m concerned about would be making my coin purse larger.”
“Ugh…” Lawrence grunted, regretting what he had asked.
“Well… what about this perhaps?” Lawrence gestures towards Floyd. “What about… an old book of tales of fortune…?”
“…”
“You doing alright there, Floyd…?” asked Lawrence Kraft.
“Yeah, I’m alright...” he gently replies back.
It wasn’t really abnormal per-say. Since meeting him and his twin sister, Eliza Crane, they've both kept up the silence treatment most of the time. They’re rather inseparable, which is a rare thing to see in society nowadays. Lawrence could relate to this feeling of having someone close, but as of late that feeling had been cut short.
“Ahh! Might that be Jared over there?” asked Saul Leitmann.
“I think it is, we’ve been walking for the past twenty minutes or so. Abby did say he was a professional traveler, and he DOES have that half-track with him…” Lawrence suggested. “However if it is him, let me say this before we head over to speak. Most of the merchants around here have a rather greedy disposition, so we’ll have to do our best to make sure that we aren’t going to waste the rest of our coins to pay for this trip.”
The group nods in agreement.
“Pot calling the kettle black though, eh Lawrence?” said Floyd, poking fun at Lawrence for being a merchant himself.
“Oh? Wouldn’t have guessed you’d know such a old phrase there FLOYD…” Lawrence snapped back.
They’d have enough to pay for the trip, but once they arrived to Madison any other rations would be hard to come by. Saving now has being a top priority.
“Excuse me sir,” Saul said with great calmness, “Might you be the man named Jared?” The man in question was young with lightest brown hair who looks over at us with a slight look of discomfort. He takes out the cigarette from out of his mouth to eventually throw it to the ground.
“If you’re asking me if my name is Jared, then yes, I am named that. Jared Meuller to be exact.”
“Ah that’s good to hear then!” said Saul again. “We’ve been looking for you actually.” Jared faces forms into a confused expression.
“What might a group like yourself be looking from me?”
“We're in need your services. ”
“Well looks like you're out of luck then - erm…?"
“Saul. Saul Leitmann. The rest of the good people in our group are Lawrence Kraft, and the Crane twins, Floyd and Eliza.”
“I’m sorry then, Saul; however, I’m not sure what you’d be looking for to be exact. I’m already busy right now with a trade…”
“That doesn’t seem to be the case” butted in Lawrence. “You seem to be more idle then busy.”
“…” Jared frowns and begins to look around again before saying loudly.
“That is the case sadly. I’ve been waiting for the past few hours for a client to come here so we can work out a small trade of silverware. He doesn’t seem to be coming, which means most likely the deal didn’t work out on his end.”
“Then I think you’ll be willing to listen to our own request then, Jared. We’re in need of a fast and safe ride down to Madison.”
Jared looks around again making sure that his previous client isn’t anywhere in sight.
“We’ve willing to compensate for the trip, oh course.”
“To pay for the loss of my previous client not arriving, I’ll have to ask about six value coins.”
Value coins are more expensive then the other smaller copper coins that most of the merchants used. They normally are about 100 copper coins compressed into one. Simply put though, the coin system had become extremely confusing to non-merchant folks.
Lawrence stops, and looks back at his group. From what he remembers, they would have enough if they gave up six value coins, but that would be leaving them with near empty pockets at the end. Plus, as Lawrence is of a higher class then the rest of his group, he’d be putting forth more, closely followed by Saul, then the twins.
“Hm…” Pondered Lawrence.
“Take it or leave it.”
“I understand, as I’m a merchant myself, but six a little to much for our group here. Could there be a better deal perhaps?” Jared look at Lawrence then the rest of the group.
“Six coins. I won’t go any lower.”
“Then what about because we have a young lady with us? I would think you’d want to honor the gentleman code to make sure she’d have a safe passage.”
“Me? A gentleman? Got to be fucken kidding me! I’m a MERCHANT, not some sap for love, all I’m concerned about would be making my coin purse larger.”
“Ugh…” Lawrence grunted, regretting what he had asked.
“Well… what about this perhaps?” Lawrence gestures towards Floyd. “What about… an old book of tales of fortune…?”